1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to athletic practice equipment and, more particularly, is concerned with an apparatus for practicing kicking which does not require the assistance of another person nor repeated intervention by the participant to restore the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Kicking accuracy and speed are important skills for participants to have in several athletic endeavors, namely, karate, football and soccer, although such skills are used to achieve different results. For instance, kicking is used in karate to deliver a blow to the body of an opponent, while in football and soccer to propel a ball in a desired direction and over a desired distance. High proficiency in kicking speed and accuracy can only be attained by hours and hours of practice. Because there are typically many other demands on participants which restrict the amount of time they can devote to training, it is imperative that workout sessions be as intensive as possible with respect to the particular skills being developed and not be wasted in activities not related to improving such skills.
Historically, a wide variety of mechanical apparatuses have been employed to assist participants in practicing various athletic skills with greater intensity during their workout sessions. Representative of the prior art are the apparatuses disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. to Valentine (931,818), McCormick et al. (3,399,891), Irby (3,724,845), Feaser (4,077,624), Jacques (4,093,212), Tomko (4,309,029), Wen (4,387,892), Rubin (4,486,016) and Lebowitz (4,564,192) and a French patent to Alriq No. (1,506,615). Additionally, for karate kicking practice, several other prior art devices have been used heretofore, such as a heavy punching bag suspended by a rope, a ball tethered in midair by ropes attached to the floor and ceiling, and a padded hand worn like a glove by another person.
While many of these prior art practice apparatuses would appear to operate reasonably well and generally achieve their objectives under the limited range of operating conditions for which they were designed, those apparatuses used in practicing kicking seem to embody one or more of the following drawbacks which make them less than an optimum practice device. Oftentimes, the assistance of another person is required to stabilize and hold the target for each kick. This requirement not only increases the difficulty in scheduling workout sessions, but it also exposes the person doing the target-holding to injury. Some prior art apparatuses will not allow the participant to complete his or her kick follow-through which reduces the quality of the workout session. Also, many will not automatically reset or restore to their original condition after each kick, nor are they adjustable to accommodate a wide range of kicking heights. Further, the prior art apparatuses are not adapted to accurately measure the participant's kicking performance and, thus, there is no way to evaluate the progress of one's kicking proficiency.
Consequently, a need still exists for a kicking practice apparatus which is solely participant-operated, automatically restored, adjustable in height, safe to use, portable and, also, gauges performance.